America/Soviet Role

[Paksos]

@Kreuzfeld:

tell me again how this work when germany build 8 art on round 1, 18 mechs on round 2, round 3 he stacks east poland with 30 mechs, 10 pz 15 inf (didn’t bother to count it out) and builds 10 mechs and a ftr. round 4 he moves these now 70 units ish units to west ukraine,  round 5 he moves them to belo, and round 6 he attacks moscow with 70 landunits + 15-20 planes. (he probably has more landunits by then, I bet cow can tell me exactly what he has.

anyways, when you build so few units, you will be screwed, he only need to take moscow, and his stack is stacked as one force, there are exacaxtly 0 of these small counterattacks

Obviously if Germany makesthat build then you don’t put all that cash into the things I said. But my group generally prefers to go down the Major IC in Romania or HUngary route and I’ve found that building only infantry or infantry and artillery throws the initiative over to the Germans and you are basically indicating that you’re not going to try and win with Russia.

Sure, if the Germans build like you indicated above then they’re playing competitively (as opposed  to playing for a laugh) and you have to respond to reflect their intentions…

[theROCmonster]

I’ve never understood that term “playing for a laugh”. Doesn’t everyone want to win? So why not always play competetively?

[Paksos]

The difference between playing for a laugh and playing to win (in my humble view) is that, if you’re playing to win then you max out your percentages, you make builds that are statistically worked out as being the most effective and (in my experience) you end up doing the same tired old strategies that tend to make one game much like the next.

Playing for a laugh (again in my view) is more about having some drinks with some mates, rolling some dice and seeing who wins. These games tend to be much more experimental (eg. Is it possible for Russia to build and then effectively use an airforce? What happens if Japan invades the mainland USA etc) where we all try and win but we’re much more concerned with ensuring that everyone has a good weekend as opposed to the experienced players facerolling the less experienced ones.

[theROCmonster]

I wish I could still play like that. I’ve played so many games now that I don’t have a “kid around” except for KJF sometimes in revised lol.

[Paksos]

We also employ a meta-strategy entitled “Get [insert name] drunk” which tends to work well against certain members of our group  :-D

[American Player111]

In the US normally I buy at least 10 infantry on turn one, sometimes more. I use these to replace those sent to reinforce the South and Alaska as well as the islands.

The next turn is spent buying at least six aircraft, to replace the ones that went OCONUS on turn one to backstop HI, AK  and Mexico.

If there is no attack on turn three then I buy a navy, at least three carriers and a couple of bullet stoppers.  I then send forces to reinforce Canada, activate Brazil (on the way to North Africa).

Russia is
1- 100% Infantry
2- 50% infantry/ 50% tanks
3- 25% infantry/ 75% tanks

Past turn three really depends upon what is going on.

[theROCmonster]

@American:

In the US normally I buy at least 10 infantry on turn one, sometimes more. I use these to replace those sent to reinforce the South and Alaska as well as the islands.

The next turn is spent buying at least six aircraft, to replace the ones that went OCONUS on turn one to backstop HI, AK  and Mexico.

If there is no attack on turn three then I buy a navy, at least three carriers and a couple of bullet stoppers.  I then send forces to reinforce Canada, activate Brazil (on the way to North Africa).

Russia is
1- 100% Infantry
2- 50% infantry/ 50% tanks
3- 25% infantry/ 75% tanks

Past turn three really depends upon what is going on.

I think you are playing with newer players. This might sound like a good idea logically when you first start playing, but when you play enough games you realize that this just doesn’t work. US needs warships and transports. Russia needs only infantry to have as much defensive power as possible.

[Komiserik]

“In the US normally I buy at least 10 infantry on turn one, sometimes more. I use these to replace those sent to reinforce the South and Alaska as well as the islands.”

Woah. That is ultra defensive for an American player.

[American Player111]

True, but when I play America no one ever even thinks of trying to invade it. Later when it is time to start shipping the troops overseas they are all ready to go and you have flexibility to spend IPCs on the current map situation as the Joes are all ready to go. Since you are going to have to make them anyway you may as well make them early.

[Eqqman]

@American:

True, but when I play America no one ever even thinks of trying to invade it.

Honestly though nobody ever seriously thinks of trying to invade the US even when it is completely empty, since it is just to easy to fill it up with defenders the second you get a whiff of a possible attack.

[Kreuzfeld]

@American:

In the US normally I buy at least 10 infantry on turn one, sometimes more. I use these to replace those sent to reinforce the South and Alaska as well as the islands.

The next turn is spent buying at least six aircraft, to replace the ones that went OCONUS on turn one to backstop HI, AK  and Mexico.

If there is no attack on turn three then I buy a navy, at least three carriers and a couple of bullet stoppers.  I then send forces to reinforce Canada, activate Brazil (on the way to North Africa).

Russia is
1- 100% Infantry
2- 50% infantry/ 50% tanks
3- 25% infantry/ 75% tanks

Past turn three really depends upon what is going on.

do you have some magical powers noone else has, because US can only produce 9 units on turn one. I prefer to buy 8 subs on US1.

US needs to build in the first 3 round a force that makes US able to have an impact as soon as possible, inf is not it (noone invades US, you dont need any units in canada or alaska. you want the axis to invade those places, it makes them use resources far away from their main objective, close to your productionbase.

To maximize US impact, if you are going for the atlantic, you need a force to stand against luftwaffe and shut down the italians a soon as possible, with probably 5 transports + loads as soon as possible.

in the pacifict you need to be able to stand against the japanese fleet off queensland as soon as possible. if you hold there, and stop him from taking hawaii, then you have stopped japan from winning.

[Jennifer]

@Eqqman:

@American:

True, but when I play America no one ever even thinks of trying to invade it.

Honestly though nobody ever seriously thinks of trying to invade the US even when it is completely empty, since it is just to easy to fill it up with defenders the second you get a whiff of a possible attack.

Not true, there was much debate over a Kill America First strategy on these forums.

Not saying it was WISE, but it did HAPPEN a few times and it was FUNNY as human feces!

[Eqqman]

@Cmdr:

Not true, there was much debate over a Kill America First strategy on these forums.

Not saying it was WISE, but it did HAPPEN a few times and it was FUNNY as human feces!

I don’t think you really refuted our statements (you did quote me as saying seriously).  Are you describing somebody doing it purely for fun, or is it part of a credible plan that might actually work?

[suprise attack]

It looks like a Sea Lion, except you hit Gibraltar on 3 and if America left its guard down then slam the East coast. Italy needs to get out and help.
Cmdr Jen can get you all the info on it, or do a bunch of digging.
It can and has worked but certain things have to fall in place, I also think it may have been easier with the A+2 version.
Surprise your friends and try it.
S.A.

[vonLettowVorbeck1914]

@Eqqman:

@Cmdr:

Not true, there was much debate over a Kill America First strategy on these forums.

Not saying it was WISE, but it did HAPPEN a few times and it was FUNNY as human feces!

I don’t think you really refuted our statements (you did quote me as saying seriously).  Are you describing somebody doing it purely for fun, or is it part of a credible plan that might actually work?

I think I remember reading that it was a pretty good surprise move the first time an opponent sees it but that was in Alpha 2. Something about a rule change regarding what Japan could do before it was at war. This is all very vague though.

[American Player111]

It can be done both as a feint to tie up the US resources and for real if Japan wants to over-invest they can maybe pull it off, it is very risky though.

Wiping out the US is very hard but doable.

Correction- With Global it is only nine infantry.

[theROCmonster]

Honestly if US saw Germany with a huge fleet off Gib then they would jsut build a bigger fleet. Germany could attack a fleet containing a carrier loaded 2 subs 2 DD’s cruiser and 3 scrambling planes. No way!

[vonLettowVorbeck1914]

@theROCmonster:

Honestly if US saw Germany with a huge fleet off Gib then they would jsut build a bigger fleet. Germany could attack a fleet containing a carrier loaded 2 subs 2 DD’s cruiser and 3 scrambling planes. No way!

If I remember correctly the strat was based on convincing the US that the Fleet would go London or or into the Med, so it was a work-once-and-never-again-against-same-opponent strat.

[suprise attack]

Page 45 of this thread about half way down.
Have fun!!!

[Jennifer]

@vonLettowVorbeck1914:

@theROCmonster:

Honestly if US saw Germany with a huge fleet off Gib then they would jsut build a bigger fleet. Germany could attack a fleet containing a carrier loaded 2 subs 2 DD’s cruiser and 3 scrambling planes. No way!

If I remember correctly the strat was based on convincing the US that the Fleet would go London or or into the Med, so it was a work-once-and-never-again-against-same-opponent strat.

Yea, that’s how I remember it.

Keep in mind, the idea was for the strategy to hit the US before they came into the war, or the round after, cant remember which.  It pretty much destroyed the United States and gave the Axis powers eternities to deal with England/Russia.

I’ve seen it used, pretty effective in Alpha games, useless in 2nd edition since there is LITERALLY no way to take London on round 3, unless the British player has NO gaming experience at all.